Antiviral Drug News and Research

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‘Emergency’ or not, covid is still killing people. Here’s what doctors advise to stay safe.

With around 20,000 people dying of covid in the United States since the start of October, and tens of thousands more abroad, the covid pandemic clearly isn't over.

18 Jan 2024

Paxlovid treatment in 20% of COVID-19 patients could avert 850,000 hospitalizations, save up to $170 billion

A study in the Emerging Infectious Diseases journal shows treating 20% of COVID-19 patients with Paxlovid could save up to 0.85 million lives and reduce the economic burden by US $170.17 billion in the US.

14 Jan 2024

Research uncovers stealthy strategy of SARS-CoV-2 infection

Researchers have discovered a novel mechanism whereby the SARS-CoV-2 virus, which causes COVID-19, can vary its mode of infection in human cells. Published in the journal eLife, a team from the University of Minnesota and the Midwest Antiviral Drug Discovery (AViDD) Center found the virus can alternate between being highly infectious and avoiding detection by the immune system.

5 Dec 2023

Research shows how HIV drug could stop many coronavirus diseases

Coronaviruses are a global public health risk, with three highly infectious species, including SARS-CoV-2, emerging in the last 20 years.

5 Dec 2023

Willow bark may be the source of a new antiviral drug

Scientists have found that specially processed samples of willow bark extract have an antiviral effect which isn’t seen in already known medical compounds from willow bark, such as salicylic acid, the precursor to modern aspirin.

13 Nov 2023

WHO experts update guidance on COVID-19 treatments

A panel of international experts representing the World Health Organization's Guideline Development Group has updated its guidance on treatments for patients with covid-19.

9 Nov 2023

COVID Moonshot Consortium makes major breakthrough in antiviral drug discovery

The work of the COVID Moonshot Consortium is being published in the prestigious journal Science on 10 November, revealing their discovery of a potent SARS-CoV-2 antiviral lead compound.

9 Nov 2023

Lab-grown skin organoids help scientists understand monkeypox infection

Skin organoids offer a powerful platform for drug discovery in the ongoing fight against the virus formerly known as monkeypox.

16 Oct 2023

Paxlovid treatment provides protection against COVID-19 for both mother and child

A new mouse model of infection with the COVID-19-causing SARS-CoV-2 virus during pregnancy tracks closely the disease course doctors have observed in SARS-CoV-2-infected pregnant patients, and suggests that treatment with the antiviral Paxlovid provides protection for both mother and child.

16 Oct 2023

New insights into coronavirus E channel could lead to antiviral drugs

The genome of the SARS-CoV-2 virus encodes 29 proteins, one of which is an ion channel called E. This channel, which transports protons and calcium ions, induces infected cells to launch an inflammatory response that damages tissues and contributes to the symptoms of Covid-19.

13 Oct 2023

Research uncovers a link between antiviral drug for COVID-19 and SARS-CoV-2 mutations

Researchers at the Francis Crick Institute, the University of Cambridge, Imperial College London, the University of Liverpool, the University of Cape Town and UKHSA have uncovered a link between an antiviral drug for COVID-19 infections called molnupiravir and a pattern of mutations in the SARS-CoV-2 virus.

25 Sep 2023

COVID drug molnupiravir appears to be driving SARS-CoV-2 to mutate and evolve

Molnupiravir, an antiviral drug used to treat patients with COVID-19, appears to be driving SARS-CoV-2 to mutate and evolve, with some of these new viruses being transmitted onwards, a new study has shown. It is not clear, however, whether these mutated viruses pose an increased risk to patients or are able to evade the vaccine.

25 Sep 2023

Research shows how mosquito-transmitted viruses hijack host cells to promote infection

New Cleveland Clinic research shows how mosquito-transmitted viruses – like Zika, West Nile, Yellow Fever and dengue viruses – hijack host cells to promote their own replication and infection.

16 Aug 2023

Two anti-inflammatory drugs reduce deaths in severe COVID-19 patients

Two anti-inflammatory drugs, abatacept and infliximab, reduced deaths among patients hospitalized with severe COVID-19, according to a national study led by Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis. William G. Powderly, MD, (right) who led the large clinical trial, discusses patient conditions with Maanasi Samant, MD, in the intensive care unit at Barnes-Jewish Hospital, one of the major trial sites, during the COVID-19 pandemic.

10 Jul 2023

Single mutation of the hepatitis E virus stands in the way of sofosbuvir drug's effectiveness

A single mutation stands in the way of a drug's effectiveness. Understanding it helps find new therapeutic approaches.

21 Jun 2023

Antiretroviral treatment efficiently suppresses penile HIV replication

Of the 38 million people worldwide living with HIV, approximately 700,000 are newly infected men, primarily via sexual transmission.

12 Jun 2023

CDC reports on its Mpox response

Research paper provides an overview of the U.S. monkeypox outbreak, highlighting the rapid response, vaccination efforts, and racial disparities in cases. Ongoing surveillance, vaccination, and communication are emphasized as crucial for future prevention.

24 May 2023

Study reveals CMPK-2 protein-coding gene as a potent inhibitor of flaviviruses

CMPK2 identified as a potential pan-flavivirus inhibitor, restricting virus replication and providing a basis for developing new antiviral treatments.

23 Apr 2023

Newly designed molecule disrupts the infection mechanism of SARS-CoV-2

A team of scientists led by the Department of Energy's Oak Ridge National Laboratory designed a molecule that disrupts the infection mechanism of the SARS-CoV-2 coronavirus and could be used to develop new treatments for COVID-19 and other viral diseases.

28 Mar 2023

New molecule slows the effects of one of SARS-CoV-2's more dangerous components

Researchers have designed a molecule that slows the effects of one of SARS-CoV-2's more dangerous components – an enzyme called a protease that cuts off the immune system's communications and helps the virus replicate.

28 Mar 2023